A Dublin jeweller ended a newlywed school teacher’s nightmare when he generously offered to replace her stolen engagement and wedding rings this weekend.

Kind-hearted Martin Gear offered to replace the woman’s engagement ring and wedding band after hearing her story on the radio.Martin said it was as if the cosmos was at work when he felt compelled to help Jane Deering, whose rings were stolen while she was running in Phoenix Park last Wednesday.

“She had put out a plea to the universe and I realised I was working on the same design when I went into work. I was about to set the diamonds into the ring mount,” he told the Herald.

Advertisement

“They were right in front of me on the bench. I said to myself – why not help?”

The hero craftsman offered Jane the opportunity to select new rings with diamonds valued at more than €3,000. “I invited her in to choose a replacement from GIA certified diamonds – the highest quality in the world,” he said.

Jane told the Herald she was “overwhelmed” by Martin’s generosity and said the experience had renewed her faith in humanity.

“What he offered is amazing. The rings are the exact same,” she said.

“We went in and he had matched them up. I woke up staring at them this morning. They’re really beautiful.”

Jane had hidden the rings inside a purse and put them in her sports bag, which she then put in the boot of her car when she arrived at the park with a friend to train for the Dublin half marathon.

Robbers smashed the side window of the car and stole the bag by pulling down the back seat.

Jane said she was “really upset” with herself as she was usually more vigilant and would put her bag in the boot as soon as she changed into her training gear at school.